Elin Noble

Elin Noble experiments with textile dyeing, stitching, and patterning in an artistic process that marries the scientific and the intuitive. Her Fugitive Pieces series interprets quilt making in an expressive and thought-provoking way. Fabrics dyed with layers of rich color are articulated with circuitous stitched lines, complimenting and contrasting the dye colors. Also on view is an abbreviated version of Noble’s ethereal Vox Stellarum installation. Layers of charcoal, black, and white dyed silk organza float from the ceiling, creating a changing moiré pattern as they sway and settle around one another. Noble’s elegantly simple installation transforms the space it occupies dramatically.

Elin Noble was born in Munich, Germany, grew up in the United States, the Far East and Europe, and now resides in New Bedford, Massachusetts. She studied art history in Florence, Italy and has traveled and studied in Japan, India, Turkey, Peru, South Africa, Europe, and Mexico.

Elin is the author of Dyes & Paints: A Hands-On Guide to Coloring Fabric, winner of the 1999 Independent Publisher book award for best How-To Book. As former Lab Manager at Pro Chemical & Dye, she has vast experience and understanding of the dyeing process. She has appeared on PBS, and lectured and conducted dye and paint workshops across North America as well as internationally. She has just returned from three weeks of teaching and conducting research in Japan. A version of the Vox Stellarum installation was featured in the Joan Mondale Gallery at the Textile Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, last fall, and a different version will be installed at the La Conner Quilt and Textile Museum in La Conner, Washington, later this year. A selection of quilts from the Fugitive Pieces series are currently on view in San Diego, California, at the Visions Art Museum.